Philadelphia Eagles fans, and NFL fans as a whole, who were looking forward to Saquon Barkley potentially breaking Eric Dickerson’s single-season record for rushing yards had to be disappointed to learn that Barkley is unlikely to play in Week 18, with the Eagles locked into the No. 2 playoff seed.
However, many other NFL records and player milestones are still at stake in the final week of the 2024 NFL regular season. Here are some to keep an eye on involving both players and teams.
Derrick Henry Versus Father Time
Derrick Henry turns 31 on Saturday, which is also the day Baltimore faces the Cleveland Browns. Being over 30 was once seen as a death knell for a running back, but Henry is knocking on NFL history.He is just 78 rushing yards shy of passing Tiki Barber for the most yards in a season at age 30 or older (1,860). However, the Browns limited King Henry to just 73 yards in their first matchup, though he averaged 6.6 yards per carry.
Lamar Jackson Chasing Rodgers
The highest passer rating in NFL history was 122.5 by Aaron Rodgers in 2011. Lamar Jackson is in Rodgers’ neighborhood as he enters Week 18 with a rating of 121.6. But the Browns held the two-time MVP to a rating of 101.8 when they last met.Story continues below advertisement
For what it’s worth, each of the other three times in NFL history that a player finished with a passer rating north of 120, they all won MVPs in that season (Rodgers twice, Peyton Manning once).
Back From the Dead
The Bengals need to beat the Steelers on Saturday—plus get some help from other teams on Sunday—in order to clinch a Wild Card berth. Cincinnati started the year 4-8, and if it miraculously notches a postseason spot, then they would be just the fourth team in NFL history to start a season 4-8, or worse, through 12 games and make the playoffs. Interestingly, the previous three all won a playoff game.That’s Called Balance
Josh Allen is expected to get a ceremonial start to keep his starting streak alive but then be replaced, which puts this record on the shoulders of backup Mitchell Trubisky. Buffalo enters its game with New England with 29 passing touchdowns and 31 rushing touchdowns. They need just one more passing score to become the first team in NFL history with 30+ pass touchdowns and 30+ rush touchdowns in a season.A bonus would be if that passing touchdown landed in the hands of any Bill who has not yet caught a touchdown pass this year. That’s because 13 different Bills have receiving touchdowns, which is tied with eight other teams for the most ever. Just about every Buffalo skill position player has already caught one, with the exception of fullback Reggie Gilliam, or an offensive lineman could also catch the historic pass.
There’s a Carr on Horizon
Top overall pick, Caleb Williams, has been sacked 67 times this season, which is 15 more than anyone else. Williams is also approaching the all-time record as another rookie, David Carr, with the Houston Texans (2002), was taken down 76 times.
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws against the Detroit Lions during the first half of an NFL football game in Detroit on Nov. 17, 2024. Carlos Osorio/AP Photo
Williams is nine short of matching Carr, and the former did suffer through a nine-sack game in Week 10 versus the Patriots. It’s worth noting that New England has the fewest sacks in the league this year (28), while Chicago’s Sunday opponent, Green Bay, ranks seventh in sacks (44).
Matching the G.O.A.T.
After missing three midseason games, it appeared that Mike Evans’ streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons would come to an end. But Evans has amped up his production as of late and now sits 85 yards shy of that magical milestone. The Buc has reached 1,000 yards in every year over the last decade, and doing so again would tie Jerry Rice for the most straight seasons (11) with at least 1,000 receiving yards.500 and Goodbye?
It’s no secret that Sunday could end up being Aaron Rodgers’ last NFL game. His Jets will take on the Dolphins, but Rodgers surely wants to reach one last milestone before, possibly, calling it quits. He’s sitting at 499 career touchdown passes, leaving him one short of becoming the fifth player, ever, to reach the 500 threshold. Davante Adams caught Rodgers’ 200th touchdown pass and his 400th touchdown, and you can bet he’ll be targeting his longtime teammate for No. 500.
Aaron Rodgers #8 of the New York Jets carries the ball during a game against the Los Angeles Rams at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Dec. 22, 2024. Emilee Chinn/Getty Images
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Additionally, Rodgers needs 377 passing yards to reach 4,000 on the season and end a 56-year drought for the Jets. Not since Joe Namath in 1967 have the Jets had a 4,000-yard passer, and that 56-year span is the second longest active drought, trailing only the Bears, who have never had a 4,000-yard passer in their 104-year history.
It’s Not Perfection, But it’s Close
Kansas City defeating Denver on Sunday would make the Chiefs the first team in NFL history with a 16-1 record. They would also join the 2007 Patriots (16-0) as the second team to ever win 16 games in a regular season. And finally, a KC victory would give them the third-highest win percentage since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, trailing only the undefeated teams in those ’07 Patriots and the ’72 Dolphins (14-0).Best for Last
The final regular season game of the year—Lions vs. Vikings—happens to be the most important in terms of seeding, as the winner will be the No. 1 seed, while the loser will be the No. 5 seed. Before even kicking off, the game is already historic as it’s the first regular-season game in NFL history between teams with 14+ wins (both are 14-2).A win by Minnesota would push them to 15-2 and make them the first franchise with multiple 15+ win seasons, as they went 15-1 in 1998. The loser of the game will be the first 14+ win team to ever play in the Wild Card round.
Lastly, Detroit enters with six 40-point games on the season, which is tied for the most ever, so another would give the Lions sole possession of the most ever.
